So thanks to the awesomeness of my friend Kendrick Daye (Mr. Art Nouveau), he and I were able to go to the Goodie Mob Reunion concert at the Masquerade Park in Atlanta. When he first told me about this, I nearly shat in my pants because I am a proud native of Atlanta and going to the Goodie Mob reunion would be like transporting back to my early days before I found the guitar.

I can just remember the countless places that I went to when I was younger where my friends would be playing Madden while blasting some Goodie Mob or just hanging out in the garage playing cards while listening to “Cell Therapy“ playing from the radio. I used to even have a friend who was such a die hard Outkast/ Dungeon Family fan that he threw my cd player on the ground because I was playing around and said that Outkast sucked. Of course I couldn’t possibly mean it, but I do have a knack for testing people’s limits…

As we entered the park, the water sprinkled down from the grey heavens and people were dressed as if the sky were shining with bright daylight. I could tell I was definitely going to a Goodie Mob concert. We walked through the muddy waters of the Masquerade Park and made our way towards the front of the crowd. As we’re walking through the crowd, I couldn’t help but keep my eyes on the foursome group all dressed in red, each one looking as exotic as the next.

Khujo Goodie was rocking his gangsta style with a red wife beater and red shorts, sporting his prosthetic leg that kind of reminded me of the Terminator. T-Mo was rocking a red and white striped polo with red pants. The most unique outfits came from Gipp and Cee-lo, with Gipp rocking his usual pimp attire with his hair slicked back and a red outfit with a red cape like Superman and Cee-lo with a red, sequined, 70’s type outfit. No matter there different styles they all looked great on the stage together and what was even better was that they had a backup band as well. I was so amazed at the assortment of musicians playing! They had a bongo player, a synthesizer, trumpet and of course, the drum, bass and especially the guitar.

The band played a great part in the concert especially when Cee-lo busted out with his solo song “Crazy.” When Cee-lo performed his solo song, it reminded me of how much he has progressed from his gritty days with Goodie Mob to a more popular sound. What caught me off guard the most with the show was when they started to play “Cell Therapy” and then they stopped playing. They brought the beat back again, but this time, they gave their guitarist some time to shine as he played the riff from Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man.” I was completely blown away at how they blended the two songs because it matched so well. I was extra excited because it was a mix of my two favorite songs from two completely different genres. It seemed as if Goodie Mob read my mind when they decided to do that. They also played my other favorite Goodie Mob song “They Don’t Dance No Mo.’” I just love the beat from that song. It really makes you not really dance but do some other movement that I don’t think you would call dancing. All the while I can just remember those times when I would listen to Goodie Mob on the bus ride home from school. Those were the days…

You could tell the amount of love that people have for Goodie Mob. Not only was the park filled with bodies but all of their hands were up in the air, giving their support of the group. As the show went on, there was never a dull moment and I don’t think Goodie Mob would have it any other way for their best performance in their hometown. You know, listening to Goodie Mob at the concert reminded me of when Southern rap music was good. I must admit that the beats may bear some resemblance but the words were of different quality. The content was a bit different although the popular topics of weed and partying were represented, but they gave people another perspective and catchy hooks especially with “Cell Therapy:” “Who’s that peeking in my window? Pow pow! Nobody now!” I thought that was so clever when I first heard it and kind of funny which is also apart of Goodie Mob’s music. Along with Outkast, and other southern musicians, Goodie Mob has propelled Southern music to heights never known and it is because of them that we have a memory of how the older heads used to kick it back in the days. From Goodie Mob, I learned about Cadillacs and Sedan DeVilles. I learned to get up, get out and get something and I definitely learned some cell therapy.

Later days…

Photos by Brandi Pettijohn